Campaign encourages women to ‘be who you are’
Let accessories augment, not change who you are, says make-up guru
It actually takes less than five minutes — Bobbi Brown revealed the time used to put on her morning beauty staples, which like many other busy women, usually happens in the car. The famed American make-up artist also shared that she’s not afraid of going bare-faced, especially during the weekend.
The natural or nude make-up look that she champions, though, doesn’t mean something completely naked, but about applying shades of the same tone of the complexion, with eyeshadow and lip colour mimicking the natural colouring of eyelids and lips.
Launched in 1991, the lip-like lipstick was an instant success. With her own cosmetics line, Brown further released more items to create the revolutionary natural look, which opposed the overdone 80s white skin, contoured cheeks, and red lips.
“Since the beginning, I’ve used make-up to enhance natural features and I’ve always used flattering, natural-looking products and shades. To this day, my philosophy hasn’t changed but it’s evolved and our products have definitely expanded to cater to the needs of modern day women around the globe,” Brown said of her stance over the 25 years.
The 25th anniversary celebration is coupled with the global “Be who you are” campaign, featuring before and after photo shoots of 40 women of different ages, races and professions, to represent the thinking that “a woman is most beautiful when she looks and feels like herself.”
“My goal when I started my company was to empower women with the right make-up and knowledge to look and feel their best, most confident self,” she said. “And being beautiful isn’t about having flawless, cookie-cutter looks. It’s about having self-confidence and playing up the qualities that make you unique.”
The 25th anniversary is marked by The Nude Library, an edited curation of 40 eyeshadow shades; and City Palettes with the shades inspired by Brown’s three favourite metropolis (New York, London and Paris) and the illustration on the compact by Richard Haines.
Over the 25 years, Brown has seen how women have become more knowledgeable about products and application techniques. In addition, their perception on ageing is beginning to change.
“Ageing is starting to be seen as process through which a woman can gain more vitality, strength, wisdom, and a new sense of her beauty,” she noted. “As a result, the beauty industry has become more about options and less about rules; and young girls and women have more role models today. We’ve definitely moved away from the idea that there’s only one definition of beauty. We’re starting to realise that we should all strive for is a very personal definition of our own beauty.”
Brown also believes in being stylish without falling victim to trends, such as from copying runway looks, even those that she created for Fashion Week and editorial shoots.
“What might work for one person, might not suit the next,” she said. “It’s really about what makes a women feel her prettiest. For some women, that means natural, subtle colours and for others, it means a more vibrant look. When it comes down to it, make-up is about options.”